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A Simple Transaction I

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Rihaku said:
There's a thought - you could take Philosopher's Wreath as a Sorcerer! It would immediate offer a modest boost to all your stats and the provision of a top-tier Grace, making you considerably more powerful for 8 hours of the day. When faced with unknown challenges, +Int/Wis/Cha is certainly valuable, and the Grace would give you a potent utility or offensive effect (assuming you eschew defensive due to the presence of Evening Sky)
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Possible, but that would require more thought *and* it requires more picks than most of the other options (barring cost inflation), which inherently makes it a greater trade off, as we could not get it + Ruinous Valor even with 4 picks.

Box Lunch said:
For the record, my gut still says Undying Vanguard. At a certain point, refusing to commit to protecting a strategic resource is committing to its sacrifice. We're not at that point yet, but it's not like we're going to get a warning before somebody more hardcore than Ber decides to gank our girls for dumb reasons.
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If we can get Ruinous Valor too I'll agree to this. Otherwise we have a serious lack of personal strength.
 
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I would say Sorcery. We have +3 INT with it, we could grab something like Evoker's Panoply. Or if we got the Findross Reactor option, that's the obvious pick, as we can immediately give ourselves another Grace, so back to square one (but with an extra Grace). Something like Temporal Auspice would basically dectuple Hunger's capability, so it's an obvious pick if it came up.

If it's a Grace that massively boosted STR, that's another good pick..

Additionally, Sorcery is generally good, since we can time our delving of the Temple to coincide with our 8 Hour Powerup time, meaning that the downsides of the downtime aren't really too bad within the immediate future.
 
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I think going sorcerer is a good back-up option if we don't get 4 picks and thus can't get Ruinous Valor + Pitiless Maw. Sorcerer is just a bit riskier because we can't guess what kind of Graces we'd get offered.
 
I've warmed up to undying vanguard... although... @Rihaku willing to say how much picks it would be to get it in a normal situation? Trying to figure out what we can get together with 3 or 4 picks, since that seems the most likely result.
 
I feel like at this rate we'll never be able to buy a 25 Arete option if we keep needing to buy Arete options to survive crises.
 
Here are the Top Tier Graces: A Simple Transaction Original

Pick 1: Archsmith (Not useful), Hyper Reactor (Basically a free pick), Reversion (Potentially useful, instantly fix Verch or ourselves, but is somewhat redundant as a healing power)
Pick 2: Evoker's Panoply (basically wizardry), Tide of Glory (General), Inner Sanctum (Pillars of Creation but worse)
Pick 3: Lord Regnant (Dealmaking, loyalty), Mental Apex (Telepathy, Genius) , Auspice Temporal (Time Manipulation)

Of these, Auspice Temporal, Mental Apex, Evoker would be my choices in order.
Rihaku said:
Picks don't translate to Arete and viceversa, they're qualitatively different systems!
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One thing they both have in common is that options with a higher cost appears to be more efficient. Ruinous Valor looks better than 3 copies of Undying Echo, Feast of Lives is qualitatively similar to Second Form, What Rains is in the same benchmark as a 7 Arete option.

I would say Philosopher's Mantle is a very strong 7 Arete option due to consuming 2 picks. And, of course, providing mental attributes. Mustn't forget those. It's like Thick as Thieves, minus the drawbacks.. could we select the Noble Praxis directly?
 
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TwistedJester said:
I feel like at this rate we'll never be able to buy a 25 Arete option if we keep needing to buy Arete options to survive crises.
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But the more these crises escalate, the larger Arete bounties become! Eventually, we'll be hitting points where we make 30 picks per build vote, and enough modifiers on Arete generation that a single post will give power equivalent to an Echo of the Forebear!
 
[X] The Quickest Route
[X] Conservative

Man, I'm still holding out hope we can buy the Noble Praxis considering we did meet the Accursed. Undying Vanguard is great because it lets us take risky and powers up Gisena and it gives us the stat boosts of it's prerequisites, but it doesn't seem as good as other options when it comes to powering us up personally. However, given the fact we'd likely bee severely outgunned when it comes to the Temple; Thousand Cuts plus Strength boosts is what I'd pick. If we could guarantee becoming a Second Coalescence Sorcerer with picks, that be a good choice too, since we need to sleep 9 hours anyway.
 
@Talace I think you mean infinitely escalating cardinalities of picks per build vote!

Shard said:
Here are the Top Tier Graces: A Simple Transaction Original

Pick 1: Archsmith (Not useful), Hyper Reactor (Basically a free pick), Reversion (Potentially useful, instantly fix Verch or ourselves, but is somewhat redundant as a healing power)
Pick 2: Evoker's Panoply (basically wizardry), Tide of Glory (General), Inner Sanctum (Pillars of Creation but worse)
Pick 3: Lord Regnant (Dealmaking, loyalty), Mental Apex (Telepathy, Genius) , Auspice Temporal (Time Manipulation)

Of these, Auspice Temporal, Mental Apex, Evoker would be my choices in order.

One thing they both have in common is that options with a higher cost appears to be more efficient. Ruinous Valor looks better than 3 copies of Undying Echo, Feast of Lives is qualitatively similar to Second Form, What Rains is in the same benchmark as a 7 Arete option.

I would say Philosopher's Mantle is a very strong 7 Arete option due to consuming 2 picks. And, of course, providing mental attributes. Mustn't forget those. It's like Thick as Thieves, minus the drawbacks.. could we select the Noble Praxis directly?
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You won't get Seram's Graces, of course! You're not him!
 
@Rihaku if things go... off plan, for example we end up getting undying vanguard, can we change the "what to do when we get there" vote? I don't want to vote for Risky without already having Undying Vanguard, and I'm not going to be convinced enough people want it until we see the vote results.
 
Rihaku said:
@Talace I think you mean infinitely escalating cardinalities of picks per build vote!



You won't get Seram's Graces, of course! You're not him!
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Well, yeah, we would get Graces which are much more suited to ourselves. I suspect Philosopher's Mantle is an effect of To Shatter Heaven, Accretion is not able to duplicate other Magic Systems like that. Can you imagine an Accretion user grabbing Diagram Magic or Cultivation? Scary..
 
[X] The Really Scenic Route
[X] Conservative

Seems like how we do it, we maximize our +1 pick and take a risk here. We go for a huge power spike such that Hunger can solo the Temple and keep everyone safe.

1/20 Death is rare enough that I think it's fine to run it.
 
Current vote count?

Talace said:
If we get a Muscle Wizard Grace, you all know what to vote for.
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Something like Sylvie's Perfecting Blade? It's very possible!

Byzantine said:
@Rihaku if things go... off plan, for example we end up getting undying vanguard, can we change the "what to do when we get there" vote? I don't want to vote for Risky without already having Undying Vanguard, and I'm not going to be convinced enough people want it until we see the vote results.
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If conditions materially change to a huge extent, Hunger's competence will kick in and correct your plans, yes.

All Arete purchases are 1 pick unless implicitly or explicitly stated otherwise (Undying series is 0 picks, Philosopher's Wreath is 2 picks, etc).
 
Undying is 0 picks? Awesome, so we *can* get it and Ruinous Valor, assuming we managed to roll an encounter with something that drops it. ...Of course such an encounter would also probably be worth 3 picks so we would have an additional pick to shove onto something else potentially Maw if we can get 6 more arete in time.

Inserted Tally
Adhoc vote count started by Byzantine on Jun 3, 2020 at 1:09 AM, finished with 184 posts and 36 votes.
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Sickul said:
1/20 Death is rare enough that I think it's fine to run it.
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The problem is it's 1/20 of instant death and an additional 1/4 chance of a fight we cannot currently win baring something miraculous.

...I want to try writing something. Someone give me a name for a Highly Dangerous monster.
 
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Byzantine said:
The problem is it's 1/20 of instant death and an additional 1/4 chance of a fight we cannot currently win baring something miraculous.

...I want to try writing something. Someone give me a name for a Highly Dangerous monster.
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Frostfire Basilisk? Moonsilver Ooze? Silent Colossus? Phosphorant Drake? Any of those float your boat?
 
If you guys are looking at spending Arete to shore up your abilities, I would encourage you to consider the normal scenic route! Not only will you be more likely to get a comfy update before the terrors of the Temple are inflicted upon you, you even have a 30% chance of free shit!

A build that's not heavy on picks doesn't need to take additional risk! Remember, the Quickest route has a 20% chance of inflicting an irresistible Moderate complication and a 10% chance of a very serious fight! These are not trivial concerns and a successful Temple run means the time spent traveling will have well been worth it, so maximum efficiency is hardly needed!
 
Rihaku said:
A build that's not heavy on picks doesn't need to take additional risk! Remember, the Quickest route has a 20% chance of inflicting an irresistible Moderate complication and a 10% chance of a very serious fight! These are not trivial concerns and a successful Temple run means the time spent traveling will have well been worth it, so maximum efficiency is hardly needed!
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on the other hand, would taking some risks for a good reward, which is what the Quickest Route is AFAIK, improve our odds of being able to accomplish a successful Temple run?
 
A Drake of Empty Night​

Of course nothing could go smoothly. Even if the Apocryphal Curse was taking some time off after the life he had lived even before meeting the Accursed he should have seen this coming, Hunger mused. But then, that was exactly why he had prepared for this eventuality. Because he had been destiny's chew toy for far too many years after it tried to use him and failed. If Destiny could not even allow him to slay the Tyrant as it decreed he was not going to let it stand in his way, either. They had been making their way through a seemingly-empty ravine when the Drake of Empty Night arrived from the depths of the World's shadow to devour those who dared venture near its Horde uninvited. Draw to the strongest presence, its eyes instantly met Hunger's. With it arrived a horde of lesser beasts, mere Wyverns of Shade, that after a moment to reorient themselves set upon Gisena and Letrizia. No matter, they can take care of themselves against foes of that level, Hunger was sure.

This Drake of Empty Night may be dangerous, but he is not going to let it hurt his companions, as it surely would if he failed. No matter the price he must pay to protect them. For their sake he refuses to allow it to hurt him either. They shall not worry so long as he is here. The battle began with a roar, the sound itself a weapon of Despair. Hunger's will pushed it aside trivially, undaunted. This was nothing compared to the mere Presence of the Tyrant. Nothing compared to losing his many companions in his time as a Hero. Nothing compared to the loss of his wife and child. Nothing at all. And moments later the battle was joined.

Dodge, block, dodge, dodge again. The battle flowed from seconds into minutes as the Monster's lessers were whittled away by his companions. The Drake's scales were incredibly thick. Even with the power of Ruin it took multiple blows to the same spot - or extended contact - to do more than leave a minor mark. Still, the Drake of Empty Night was clearly flagging. The power of its blows had lessened, though any would still crush a lesser being almost without notice. It had not even used it's Void Breath in 15 seconds, a new record! Hunger, too, was showing signs of slowing. The Cloak of the Evening Sky had darkened with exposure to the Void, and was becoming more permeable to the Drake's attacks. Still, Hunger was clearly winning the battle, as even the defenses of a mighty Drake crumble under the touch of Ruin.

But with fatigue - and fear - comes desperation. The Drake had not been tested to this degree in centuries, but as a type of Dragon it was not going to let a mere Human defeat it! And so the Drake drew deep on power that had been building for centuries. Enough power to utterly Erase everything within the Ravine for thousands of feet. Hunger could feel the power building and realized it was far too late to get out of the way. There was only one chance. The Drake's scales had begun to fall away in a few places. Critically there was a small hole just above where Hunger sensed one of its three hearts to be. With Ruin infused directly into the core of its body the attack would surely dissipate incomplete and the beast would fall.

The final clash of the nearly hour-long fight lasted only moments, as the Forebearer's blade lashed out with strength and speed beyond what Hunger could have done the moment before, and took the Drake directly in it's heart. The ominous nothing that was the power of the building Void winked out, as without the Drake's strength and guidance it fled the world, back into the Nothing from which it was called, and the Drake finally fell, dead.

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There. That's about the limit of my writing skill.
 
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Rihaku said:
If you guys are looking at spending Arete to shore up your abilities, I would encourage you to consider the normal scenic route! Not only will you be more likely to get a comfy update before the terrors of the Temple are inflicted upon you, you even have a 30% chance of free shit!
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Do you think we could have some detail of what Free Shit is like? Cause if it is something like 5 Arete equivalent for Major benefit then it'd be worth it, but below that..
 
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